UC Irvine

Health researchers are increasingly using human-centered design methods in order to design usable health technologies and interventions. However, there is little research done about how design is used by Health researchers as well as what challenges Health researchers face when employing design methods and approaches in their work. In addition, conducting multidisciplinary research can be challenging because HCD and Health researchers might value different research outcomes, or might not know how to value each other’s research methods. While prior work documents HCD researchers’ perspectives, little is known from the Health researchers’ perspectives. In this thesis, I investigate multiple Health researchers’ lived experiences with using design methods: how Health researchers perceive design, what challenges they face when using design, and what challenges they face when collaborating with HCD researchers. I conducted semi-structured interviews with 16 Health researchers who self-identified as having used design methods and worked alongside a design collaborator. I found that Health researchers felt that incorporating user feedback was an integral part of their technology design process; they had difficulty understanding how to implement design approaches and incorporating design into their project timelines; and they had miscommunications with their collaborators due to a lack of shared language. I propose ways in which individuals, universities, funding agencies, and research communities can better support collaborations and the use of design methods by HCD and Health researchers.